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DeVore Fidelity Gibbon X "Ten" Loudspeakers at Vinyl Sound Toronto Canada

The Gibbon X is a three-way floorstanding loudspeaker from DeVore Fidelity (Brooklyn, New York, USA), available at Vinyl Sound in Toronto, Canada. The flagship of the Gibbon Series and successor to the legendary Silverback Reference, the Gibbon X represents John DeVore's bid for a genuinely neutral, full-range reference design within the Gibbon lineage. A complex four-chamber plywood enclosure is wrapped in a renewable bamboo outer shell, housing a 0.75-inch ultra-low-mass textile dome tweeter suspended in a mechanically isolated inert chamber, a dedicated 7-inch midrange driver in its own sealed enclosure, and a pair of long-throw 9-inch woofers reaching down to 23Hz. With a 91.5 dB/W/m sensitivity, an 8.5-ohm nominal impedance, and a frequency response extending to 40kHz, the Gibbon X is easy to drive and easy to place, and has earned a Stereophile Class A recommendation from reviewer Jim Austin.

A Three-Way Design Built for Neutrality and Dynamic Realism

The Gibbon X departs from the warm, tube-friendly character of earlier DeVore Gibbon designs in pursuit of genuine neutrality, extended dynamics, and the kind of physical realism that can startle a listener. At its top end, the 0.75-inch textile dome tweeter is the same driver that later trickled into the Gibbon Super Nine. It is recessed slightly into the baffle and suspended inside a solid block of wood with a heavier-than-standard Zamak front plate that shifts the center of mass toward the baffle for more effective mechanical isolation, resulting in greater speed, extension, and lower distortion compared to conventionally mounted tweeters. The 7-inch midrange driver sits in its own dedicated sealed enclosure inside the cabinet, fully decoupled from the bass loading of the woofer chambers, fitted with a phase plug and an inverted natural rubber surround for low-distortion output through the critical vocal range. Below, a pair of long-throw 9-inch woofers operate in a tuned four-chamber plywood enclosure that controls resonances while delivering bass extension to 23Hz. The bamboo outer shell you see is not a structural enclosure: the real mechanical work is done by the internal plywood architecture, a deliberate separation of structural and acoustic function.

Enclosure Design: Bamboo, Plywood, and Four-Chamber Loading

The Gibbon X cabinet architecture is more complex than its slim, elegant exterior suggests. The renewable bamboo shell encloses a separate internal structure of plywood divided into four distinct chambers, each tuned independently to control bass response and reduce the interaction between woofer loading and midrange performance. The front and rear panels are made of painted MDF, while the internal plywood architecture provides the mechanical rigidity. The tweeter is housed in its own solid block of wood within this structure, with a heavy Zamak alloy front plate to optimize its suspension and isolation. The midrange driver has its own fully sealed sub-enclosure. This driver-within-enclosure-within-enclosure architecture gives the Gibbon X a level of acoustic separation between frequency bands that is rarely found in a speaker of this size and profile.

Key Features

• Isolated Tweeter Chamber: The 0.75-inch ultra-low-mass textile dome tweeter is suspended inside a solid wood inert chamber with a heavy Zamak alloy front plate, shifting the center of mass toward the baffle to minimize resonance and maximize mechanical isolation from the cabinet structure.
• Dedicated Sealed Midrange Enclosure: The 7-inch midrange driver operates in its own sealed enclosure inside the cabinet, fitted with a phase plug and an inverted natural rubber surround, keeping its loading completely independent of the woofer section for cleaner, lower-distortion midrange performance.
• Dual Long-Throw 9-Inch Woofers: Two long-throw 9-inch woofers in a tuned four-chamber plywood enclosure reach 23Hz with controlled, authoritative bass output that has been described by reviewers as capable of literally startling listeners with its dynamic realism.
• Four-Chamber Plywood Enclosure: The internal enclosure is built from plywood divided into four acoustically tuned chambers, controlling woofer resonances and limiting cabinet coloration independently of the bamboo outer shell.
• Renewable Bamboo Outer Shell: The exterior finish is a renewable bamboo shell, available in Cherry, Mahogany, and Mink, that provides a refined aesthetic while the structural and acoustic work is handled by the internal plywood architecture.
• 91.5 dB/W/m Sensitivity: High enough sensitivity to work well with moderate-power tube and solid-state amplifiers alike, while remaining resolving enough to reveal differences between amplifier topologies clearly.
• 23Hz to 40kHz Frequency Response: A full eleven-octave bandwidth with genuine infrasonic bass extension to 23Hz and ultra-high-frequency extension to 40kHz, covering everything from the lowest organ pedal tones to the highest overtones of acoustic instruments.
• Stereophile Class A Recommendation: Jim Austin, writing in Stereophile, designated the Gibbon X a Class A performer, the magazine's highest loudspeaker rating.
• Part-Time Audiophile Editor's Choice: Scott Hull at Part-Time Audiophile awarded the Gibbon X the publication's Editor's Choice designation.
• Handbuilt in Brooklyn, New York: Every pair is assembled by hand at the DeVore Fidelity workshop at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, New York, USA.

Technical Specifications

Awards and Critical Recognition

• Stereophile Class A Recommended Component, Jim Austin, Stereophile Magazine: "DeVore Fidelity's Gibbon X is, to me, a Class A performer, highly recommended."
• Editor's Choice Award, Scott Hull, Part-Time Audiophile, Best of 2014: "The Gibbon X is room filling, precise, and gloriously immersive in its presentation. Finding a better performing speaker at this price or lower? Yeah. Good luck."

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the DeVore Fidelity Gibbon X?

The DeVore Fidelity Gibbon X is a three-way, ported floorstanding loudspeaker, handbuilt in Brooklyn, New York, and representing the flagship of the DeVore Fidelity Gibbon Series. It uses a 0.75-inch textile dome tweeter in an isolated inert chamber, a 7-inch midrange driver in its own sealed internal enclosure, and two long-throw 9-inch woofers in a four-chamber plywood enclosure. The Gibbon X delivers a 91.5 dB/W/m sensitivity, an 8.5-ohm nominal impedance, and a frequency response from 23Hz to 40kHz. It has been awarded a Class A recommendation by Stereophile and an Editor's Choice by Part-Time Audiophile.

How does the Gibbon X compare to the DeVore Fidelity Orangutan O/96?

The Gibbon X and the Orangutan O/96 represent two distinct design philosophies within the DeVore Fidelity lineup. The O/96 is a two-way design with a 96 dB/W/m sensitivity and a 10-ohm impedance, optimized for ease of drive with low-power tube amplifiers and characterized by a warm, organic tonal character. The Gibbon X is a three-way design with a 91.5 dB/W/m sensitivity and an 8.5-ohm nominal impedance, reaching deeper in the bass to 23Hz and extending higher to 40kHz, with a more explicitly neutral sonic character and a greater emphasis on dynamic realism and macrodynamic impact. The Gibbon X is the better choice for listeners who prioritize full-range extension, dynamic authority, and tonal neutrality; the O/96 remains the preferred design for those who pair speakers with low-power tube amplifiers and value a warmer presentation.

How does the Gibbon X compare to the Focal Sopra No.3 or the Wilson Audio Sabrina X?

The DeVore Fidelity Gibbon X, the Focal Sopra No.3, and the Wilson Audio Sabrina X all compete in the upper-tier floorstanding segment, but they differ substantially in character and design priorities. The Focal Sopra No.3 uses beryllium tweeter and W-cone drivers in a denser, more rigidly constructed cabinet, while the Sabrina X uses Wilson's proprietary composite materials with a focus on driver time alignment. The Gibbon X takes a different path: a renewable bamboo outer shell over a four-chamber plywood internal enclosure, with the emphasis on dynamic freedom, three-dimensional imaging, and an approachable 91.5 dB/W/m sensitivity that works well with a wider range of amplifiers than either of its more load-demanding competitors.

Can the Gibbon X be driven by a tube integrated amplifier?

Yes, the Gibbon X is well suited to tube integrated amplifiers with moderate output power. Its 91.5 dB/W/m sensitivity and 8.5-ohm nominal impedance present a manageable load for push-pull tube amplifiers producing 30 watts or more. During its Stereophile review, Jim Austin used the Leben CS-600 integrated amplifier with the Gibbon X to good effect. The Gibbon X is more revealing of amplifier character than the higher-sensitivity Orangutan designs, meaning a well-matched tube amplifier will be audibly rewarded in terms of tonality and midrange texture.

What is the purpose of the inert chamber surrounding the Gibbon X tweeter?

The tweeter in the Gibbon X is suspended inside a solid block of wood with a heavier-than-standard Zamak alloy front plate, forming what DeVore Fidelity describes as an inert chamber. The mass of the Zamak plate shifts the center of gravity toward the baffle, which reduces mechanical resonance in the tweeter's mounting system. This isolation means that vibrations from the woofer and midrange sections cannot travel through the cabinet structure and modulate the tweeter's output. The result is improved high-frequency speed, extension, and low-distortion performance compared to a tweeter mounted directly to a shared front baffle.

Where can I buy the DeVore Fidelity Gibbon X in Toronto or Canada?

Vinyl Sound in Toronto, Ontario is an authorised DeVore Fidelity dealer and carries the Gibbon X loudspeaker. Vinyl Sound Canada offers in-store listening sessions, expert guidance on amplifier matching, and full after-sales support for the Gibbon X and the complete DeVore Fidelity Gibbon and Orangutan speaker lines. Contact Vinyl Sound Toronto to discuss availability and bamboo finish options.

What amplifier topology works best with the Gibbon X?

The Gibbon X is an amplifier-revealing design that works well across a range of topologies, including solid-state class-A and class-AB designs and push-pull tube amplifiers. Stereophile reviewer Jim Austin found that solid-state monoblocks produced a fuller bass presentation, while the Leben CS-600 tube integrated also paired effectively. DeVore Fidelity's original recommendation for the Gibbon X is to position the speakers with no toe-in, aimed straight ahead, which reduces the impact of toe-in adjustments on tonal balance and simplifies room setup considerably.

What does the four-chamber enclosure of the Gibbon X accomplish?

The Gibbon X's internal enclosure is divided into four separate plywood chambers, each acoustically tuned to control specific resonance behaviors of the dual 9-inch woofers. Dividing the enclosure this way reduces the internal standing waves that degrade bass definition and timing in simpler single-chamber ported designs. It also mechanically stiffens the structure so that cabinet resonances do not color the output. The bamboo outer shell is an aesthetic and structural outer layer; the real acoustic work is performed entirely by this internal four-chamber plywood architecture.